018 – 24 Hours in Farming

Tonight I’m heading up to the Ribble Valley in Lancashire to talk to Farmer’s Guardian Editor Ben Briggs @FGBen

Firstly Ben tells us about his background growing up on a small dairy farm, and helping his parents with their milk round on one of the most deprived council estates in the country in Blackburn.

We then talk about how he came to get a job at Farmers Guardian in 2004, firstly as a data inputter, and then as a livestock reporter. Ben then describes his next journalism jobs at The Lancashire Telegraph and editing the Lancashire Business View, before eventually returning to FG as business editor.

We discuss what it’s like to be in the hot seat at FG as editor at such a young age, and the challenges the role entails, as well as the changes that he’s overseen in his time there. He talks about the importance of having a good team of people, and the brave new World that is social media, and the new challenges that brings up.

We then talk at length about ’24 hours farming’ #Farm24 – what it is, what it entails, and how we can all get involved. We hear how it’s grown since the first one in 2015, and how this year Morrison’s are sponsoring the event, and how this helps to spread the message.

We also hear about Ben’s Role as Chairman of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists, and what that role entails.

It was absolutely fascinating to hear about Ben’s career, and role at Farmer’s Guardian, and learn more about #Farm24 tonight, and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to him.